Noir Tomorrow 2: Fast Asia
by Milleniumenjimon
Summary: Bubbles wants to enjoy a vacation she worked hard for. Too bad a murder has hampered that, now having to deal with several characters with a motive she must find out whodunit and whydunit.
1. preludge

She lifted her bags as the train pulled up into the station. Walking through the rain after leaving the safety of cover she was glade her vacation was beginning.

Bubbles Utonium hadn't had a good vacation in the longest time, and she scrapped and saved everything she gotten. She had planned everything for this trip, a nice hotel in a lovely place that was away from the big cities and a trip on a scessor of the Orenant Express.

Boarding Fast Asia, the train, Bubbles checked her baggage with one of the conductors than handed her room key.

"As soon as he leave the station another conductor will hand a invalidation card," the conductor said. "To make your ride and others more enjoyable."

"Thanks," Bubbles said. Walking past him after their departures and heading for the cabins Bubbles noticed a very edgy man walking back and forth in the hallway.

He was of stocky build, a short man with a balding head and a thick mustache. Topping the stereotype he wore a bad brown suit.

"Is something wrong sir?" Bubbles asked in good nature, like she normally did when she saw someone in distress.

The man looked up, he was fidgeting and shifting around nervously. "Who? Me? I'm fine, madam. Thank you for your concern."

"I'm sorry, but you seem very nervous."

"Oh? Well, you see I am naturally this way as people tell me. I am just waiting for my bodyguard to finish checking over my room before entering, you know; booby traps and murderers lurking about." The man was sweating heavily, he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a hanky to wipe down his pudgy face.

"Alright," Bubbles said as she walked into her room trying to avoid getting involved in something odd. This was, after all, her vacation.

She placed her luggage into the corner and taking a moment to look out her window, it is going to be a nice view.

_Nothing is going to happen now._ She thought before falling onto her bed.

()()()()()()

Hello one and all, and thank you for reading the sequel to Noir Tomorrow. It's to make up for placing Coded Unit Gods on hiatus since I have lost interest in that story (I might ether find another writer to finish it or spoon feed a chapter every once in a while.)

Plus I haven't written a good mystery in a while.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 1

Bubble woke up, got dressed and washed her face in the sink before paying a visit to the dinning car for breakfast. She found the rest of the passengers onboard the train sitting here, she took a small corner booth and looked over a menus that was sitting there.

In the booth ahead of her an woman in her late forties-early fifties, her silvering hair tied up into a tight bun and her suit was professional. She was currently working on something on her laptop.

To the left of her was a young couple, a woman with long brown hair and teeth that looked like rare pearls (Bubbles knew they were worked on) and a young man with a lighter shade of brown. _Must go to the same dentist_, Bubble thought.

In another corner of the room was someone she didn't expect; an armature jewel thief, she seen his face many times before - both in person and on wanted posters; - his name escapes her at the moment but she didn't really let it bring down her good mood. He always screwed up, whatever he's planning he'll be caught.

A conductor, acting as a waiter, walk up to Bubbles. "Hello, I am Dave Marlow," he said with a slight Bronx accent. "And I am the waiter for this hour, is there anything you want right now?"

"Uh, yeah. The steak and potatoes, plus some kind juice. I don't know, surprise me."

"Very good," Dave bowed before leaving. As he left the man in the brown suit entered and took a seat next to the windows. Bubbles noticed that he wasn't as fidgety anymore when she first saw him.

She shook her head before looking out the window near her, out of the corner of her eye she saw a old man sitting far behind the old woman, he was in a suit that would make Bugsy proud of. A pudgy nose that shouted to be hit that often was answered many times and a face of a grumpy old man that take no guff.

Ironically, in a way, he was reading Alfred Hitchcock's mystery magazine. June 2002, is she wasn't mistake. She read it once, **Too subtle for me** and **Death and cherry blossoms** were her favorite stories.

Bubbles' breakfast came, she ate slowly while thinking of what to do when she gets to the resort. Maybe snorkel or sunbath.

After breakfast, Bubbles asked for a book or a magazine. While the conductor went to look for something Bubbles noticed something off, the brown suited man that she ran into before entering her room. He said he has a bodyguard, looking around she didn't see one.

_He could be hiding,_ Bubbles thought before settling upon the "gangster" and wonder if he was the bodyguard. The man could scare even Him.

_What an unusual bunch_.

--(1)--

Bubbles laid in bed, there wasn't much to do on a train. But she couldn't stop dreaming of going to that place for a whole month (heroes get a whole month out of seven years).

She heard a knock on the door, lifting her head up she heard the conductor from the other side. "Ms. Utonium, I hate to say this but there was a minor land slide, it'll take a few hours before we start rolling again. Sorry about the inconvenience."

"That's alright," Bubbles said.

She heard the conductor leave, she placed her hands behind her head and rested until she was bothered again.

"Ms. Utonium, you must come quick." The conductor said in a panic. "There's murder a foot!"

_Murder?_

That got Bubbles attention. She open the door, the conductor, Dave Marlow, lead her to the room. The one that the brown suited man was in.

_So much for the perfect vacation._ Bubbles thought.


	3. Chapter 2

She saw the scene, the conductors were keeping the curious looky-loos at bay while she looked over the scene. There was a bit of blood around the body, it was the man in the brown suit.

"Who was he?" Bubbles asked. She kneeled down and looked over the body, there were multiple stab wounds and from the looks of it, this man was caught off guard.

"He's name was Frank Kilmilson," the conductor said. He mulled over to Bubble's side. "A conductor was telling everyone about the land slid when he found the door open slightly, he found him here like this."

"I see," Bubbles stood up and straighten out her blouse. "How long is there until the train reaches it's destination?"

"If you mind me asking," the conductor said. "Why would you want to know?"

"Because the killer might still be on the train," Bubbles said. "And the killer isn't caught soon, he might walk."

"The land slid will take about seven hours to clear up," the conductor said. "After that it's four days until we get to the first stop."

_Four days and seven hours to stop a killer,_ Bubbles thought. _Great, just great._

--(1)--

"What do you think is going on?" The young brunette asked her husband.

"I don't believe it," the man said. "It's Frank Kilmilson."

"_He's_ on this train?" The woman in the business suit said. "I can' believe he would even show his face after that business fiasco."

"People, people," A conductor said with hands raised to get their attentions. "Please, stay calm. The authorities are on the situation, please continue on enjoying your vacation, but if you information please tell it to the young superhero or the chief conductor."

The word of a superhero on board really riled up the group, the buzz spread around the hallway while everyone heading to a different part of the train.

Bubbles stepped out of the room, looked around. She wonder where was Mr. Kilmilson's bodyguard? If she finds him she should question him, if he wasn't the killer than he must be one lousy bodyguard.

The chief conductor, a barrel-chested old man that appears to be very experience with things like this, appeared from the luggage car in back. "I have checked everywhere, there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. All is in place and there doesn't appear to be anything that was tampered with."

"Would you mind if I have a look?"

"No," the chief said. "I wouldn't be surprise if you catch something that I missed, a lot of detective I've met always do."

"Murders on trains happen that much?" Bubbles asked.

"No, but I've been working on trains for over 30 years, you see a lot of strange things."

Bubbles looked down at the entry way to Mr. Kilmilson, "I bet, and so do I."

"What do you see?"

"Blood." Bubbles said as she used her super sight to see a small speck of blood among the maroon carpeting. She followed the small train to the conductor's quarter's, leading all the way to the last room marked 49. She looked up to see the chief with a puzzled face. "Who stay's in this room?"

"No one," the chief said. "It's a holding room really, train company policies is to have a empty room for stollaways, criminals, very sick people that need to be quarantine and other people of the sorts." He fished out a set of keys and opened up the room.

Bubbles stepped inside, she saw the blood train was visible up to the window, which was too small for even a child to fit through. The latch looked badly rusted but she knew what it really was, the killer threw out the weapon out the window.

"Well," Bubbles said. "I guess I know where the weapon went."

"Really," the chief asked. "Where?"

"Same thing where money goes, out the window."

--(2)--

It has been four hours since the investigation started. Bubbles hasn't checked over the crime scene in full yet, at least not until she had photograph the scene yet. She was waiting to do that, first she needed to know the suspects.

"This is insane." Greg Hildebrandt said while lazily laying an arm over the back of his chair. "I only know this Frank guy through my wife, you know that we payed a lot of money to go on this stupid trip?"

"How did she know him?" Bubbles asked. She was taking down notes into a small note pad, the man shrugged.

"She dated him, he was into younger girls and ditching them after they hit a certain age."

"I see... Did you know him personally?"

"No," the man said with a bit of an edge in his tone. "And frankly, I think it's better off he's dead."

Bubbles thought it was odd how he worded that, making him more on the suspect list.

"How did you know him?"

"He was a business partner that cheated me out of a deal," Alice fisher said. The stoic woman took a small drag off her cigarette, "I wouldn't kill him, too humane."

"I see, why are you on the train?" Bubbles said while writing it up.

"Well, I have business in the south and I heard train is the only way to travel if you're afraid to fly." She put out her smoke. "If this is _the only way to travel_, I gladly take planes crashing any day."

"Okay, What's your relationship to him?"

"Nothing." Jacob LeDeo said. "I was only on vacation, I swear." The man's hands were shifting around nervously, constantly tapping them and fidgeting around with the silverware.

"You were up to something," Bubbles said with a cold stare. "And I'll find out what it was."

"Alright," Jacob said. "I was planning something, but it wasn't murder, the geezer had a jewel on him."

"A jewel?"

"Yeah, the most expansive and cursed jewel there is. The sameal's eye."

"And you were going to steal it?"

"Pretty much. But that's all, I swear."

"So, how about you? What's your beef with him." Bubbles asked the last suspect, Eliza Hildebrandt.

"I have nothing, I didn't even know he was on this train." She said coolly like her husband. "I really don't care, this is just dampening my honeymoon, kid. And trust me, when my mood is damp I get mean."

--(3)--

The land slide was almost cleaned up by the time she finished the interviews with the passengers of Fast Asia. She saw all had some history with Frank, well with exceptions of Jacob the jewel thief and Pojo Berine the retired mobster going to live in Florida.

Four days to find a killer in a train full of people that wanted to see him dead or at least suffering.

Bubbles reviewed all of the notes she had written during her investigations, she even checked the conductors. None of them really knew Frank Kilmilson or had any past with him, she didn't bite on anyone's tale, but she'll play along with it for now.

_It's time to check over the room._

--(4)--

Bubbles had to fish out her best camera, the one she was planning in using it on the beaches. Photographing the body, which was now covered by a white blanket, a broken watch that must have fallen out during a struggle, and a half open suit case.

Bubbles looked at the watch, it said it stopped at 3: 24. Whatever AM or PM is unknown.

Bubbles looked at the body, than at the watch. She picked it up carefully, there was something off about this. Like it didn't belong.

_Wait!_ Bubbles thought as she looked at the body, the pooled blood than at the place where the watch was. _It **doesn't** belong here._ She place the watch where it laid, now it makes sense. If it _was_ lost during a struggle it would be closer to the door, Bubbles could picture it in her mind now as she looked over towards the door.

The killer would knock on the door, Mr. Kilmilson would answer and than be repeatedly stabbed.

_But of course than there would be massive amounts of the red stuff near the door,_ she thought. _It's thickest where he's laying,_ she thought as she stood over his bed. _He was attacked while sleeping._

Bubbles knew, if he was attacked while sleeping than that would mean two things.

--(5)--

"A conductor?" The chief conductor said while he served the blond her breakfast.

"It would make some sense, unless it was the bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" The conductor said with a hint of curiosity, "I hate to tell you this but Mr. Kilmilson had no bodyguard."

Bubbles stopped for a moment, her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her note pad while her mind swallowed this new information. "No bodyguard, than why did he said his bodyguard was checking his room?"

"Why does some animals make themselves look bigger than they are?"

"You're saying he bluffed about that?"

"Okay, now this mystery had gotten much more confusing." Bubbles said.

No bodyguard, four passengers that have something that involves with Mr. Kilmilson, a missing jewel and a murderer.

Somewhere, is a answer.


	4. Chapter 3

Back into the room where the blood trail ended, there has to be something here. Something she missed the first time, three days and counting she was losing ground to the killer.

Bubbles sighed while walking into hall than returning to the victim's room. Between the two something has to give away the killer's identity, she had met the suspects (which is oddly - like by fate - on the same train) a few times but she steered clear of them for the investigation of the crime scenes.

Bubbles opened the suit that laid half strewn in the closet area, there was papers and a few clothes laying near it. Maybe this is where Mr. Kilmilson hide the "jewel" that Jacob said he was carrying, making the motive of greed more solid.

That's when Bubbles noticed something off, picking up a sheet of paper it was full of business jive that went over her head. But there was a constant reference to "M & K company", something note worth.

"Excuse me," Bubbles looked up to see the chief conductor standing in the doorway. "May I ask you a question?"

"Sure, if I can ask you one afterwards."

"Shouldn't you be talking to the suspects? I mean, they are apart of a crime."

"Let me tell you something in _my_ years of being a superhero, people tend to lie and miss lead. Evidence don't lie, it just gets intrepid."

"So you avoid them so they won't confuse you?"

"Pretty much, and we're running on borrowed time and I can't sort out all the lies and motives in time." Bubbles handed the papers she found, "can you tell me what this mean?"

The chief conductor took the papers than looked them over. "This is interesting, this is a company report. And whoever owned it was doomed for bankruptcy."

Bubbles nodded, maybe it was something or maybe it wasn't. "I'm going to see if there was anything in the room, excuse me."

Bubbles walked by the chief conductor and headed back to room 49. She knew there was something here, if it isn't hidden that maybe it was in plain sight. Something so obviously off it could be over looked, like a lump in the floor.

_Lump in the floor?_ Bubbles thought to herself, now kicking herself for missing it every time she walked into this place. Not noticing it because she thought it was apart of the train, ether a warp wood board that covers the metal or a compartment she walked over to where the window was.

Digging her fingers at the edge of the carpeting she found it was very easily pulled back. That's when the missing key was found, the thing that linked everything to everything.

Bubbles called the chief, when he came to see the sight he stopped. "Well, I'll be."

"The question is, who does it belong to?"

The chief walked over, and picked up the bloody conductor's uniform. "Every conductor is assigned three uniforms, in case of _accidents_. They're stored in the luggage compartments, and the one with a missing uniform..."

"Is the killer!"


	5. Conculsion

The sameal's eye looked wonderful in the palm of his hand, it was really an unforeseen bonus for what he had done.

It was revenge, for what happened to his family after their involvement with Frank Kilmilson. For bankrupting them and living a easy life.

He gathered his things, walked by the other passengers who were curious about the murderer. Usually the detective would revival the "criminal mastermind" in a grand way, well he figured the superhero hadn't figured out who it was.

The moment his foot touch down on the station's floor, two police officers grabbed him and forced his hands into handcuffs.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you." Bubbles said as she emerged from the train with her luggage. "The murderer."

Dave Marlow cursed, he try to fight his way out of the cuffs but found it no use. "I don't know how you figured it out," he snared. "But I curse you, you blasted slut!"

"Whatever," Bubbles said while putting on her sunglasses. "I'm on vacation."

()()Author's notes.()()

Sir Arthur Doyle, I am not.

Well, thanks for reading the mystery even though I didn't write more about the suspects. It seemed right to keep it short and simple.

And if you are wondering how it came to the conductor Dave Marlow? Here's a list:

The broken watch: was place at the scene to make people think there was a struggle. And it set up the time to give him an alible, or at least enough time (no pun intended) to get away.

The body: there were splatter in a direction as if the man was laying down and taken surprise, which is why the broken watch didn't work.

The papers: The company was M & K, or Marlow and Kilmilson. The reason for revenge was Dave Marlow's family went poor because of Kilmilson, he took the conductor job to survive. It was just luck that Kilmilson was on the train, and he found the jewel by accident while hidding his jacket.


End file.
